1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method for complete or partial removal of the base of ready-made linoleum, preferably on linoleum band with a width which is less than the length, and a method, a product and use of linoleum covering on a plate where one of the edges of the plate is directly or indirectly covered with linoleum band, wherein the base is removed.
2. Description of Related Art
It is commonly known to cover surfaces with linoleum, providing a hard-wearing, antistatic, noise attenuating, heat resistant, dust and germ repelling surface, which additionally is so flexible that minor scratches occurring the linoleum surface will fade over time. Linoleum is often used, for example, for tabletops and floors.
Linoleum is known as a natural product consisting of an oxidized mixture of linseed oil and resin with added limestone, dye, wood flour and/or cork dust. During production of linoleum, this linoleum mass is typically applied to a base of jute or cardboard, and the linoleum mass is rolled in a compression rolling mill under heat and pressure into a form of elongated webs that are stored in rolls after hardening, the rolls are typically provided in standard widths, or punched into linoleum tiles in standard sizes.
By using linoleum for covering furniture and other interior objects, such as tabletops and window sills, there is a need for plate edges appearing with the same color and sheen as the plate surface itself. For this purpose, the plate edge has often been ground and painted, which, however, rarely produces the right finish, as one may see and feel the difference between the painted edge and the linoleum surface.
Furthermore, it has been attempted to apply linoleum at the edge of the linoleum covered plate. This has entailed edge solutions wherein the base becomes visible, which is not visually and aesthetically attractive at all. Moreover, action by moisture and temperature by the surroundings on the accessible base will in time cause that the linoleum come loose from the base, as base and linoleum have different coefficients of expansion.
By these experiments with linoleum covered plate edges, it has been attempted to remove the base on the linoleum by various methods. For example, the linoleum has been put into water for softening the base so that it was easier to tear or rub off. This solution, however, has most often caused damage at the front side of the edge band and left irregularities with base residue at the back side, and when the back side of the edge band is uneven, the corresponding unevenness will be transmitted to the front side of the ready-made bonded edge band and give a bad finish to the linoleum covered plate edge. Moreover, the process is demanding time and manpower and therefore cost-heavy.
It is also well-known to grind the base off, either by sandpaper or a smoothing machine. This solution often causes scratches at the front side of the linoleum band, since the linoleum band is easily displaced, in spite of attempts to fix it during the grinding process. The process is also time and manpower demanding and therefore cost-heavy.